Decreased bacterial growth on titanium nanoscale topographies created by ion beam assisted evaporation.

Titanium is one of the most widely used materials for orthopedic implants, yet it has exhibited significant complications in the short and long term, largely resulting from poor cell-material interactions. Among these many modes of failure, bacterial infection at the site of implantation has become a greater concern with the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Nanostructured surfaces have been found to prevent bacterial colonization on many surfaces, including nanotextured titanium. In many cases, specific nanoscale roughness values and resulting surface energies have been considered to be "bactericidal"; here, we explore the use of ion beam evaporation as a novel technique to create nanoscale topographical features that can reduce bacterial density. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between the roughness and titanium nanofeature shapes and sizes, in which smaller, more regularly spaced nanofeatures (specifically 40-50 nm tall peaks spaced ~0.25 µm apart) were found to have more effect than surfaces with high roughness values alone.

Recent coating developments for combination devices in orthopedic and dental applications: A literature review.

Orthopedic and dental implants have been used successfully for decades to replace or repair missing or damaged bones, joints, and teeth, thereby restoring patient function subsequent to disease or injury. However, although device success rates are generally high, patient outcomes are sometimes compromised due to device-related problems such as insufficient integration, local tissue inflammation, and infection. Many different types of surface coatings have been developed to address these shortcomings, including those that incorporate therapeutic agents to provide localized delivery to the surgical site. While these coatings hold enormous potential for improving device function, the list of requirements that an ideal combination coating must fulfill is extensive, and no single coating system today simultaneously addresses all of the criteria. Some of the primary challenges related to current coatings are non-optimal release kinetics, which most often are too rapid, the potential for inducing antibiotic resistance in target organisms, high susceptibility to mechanical abrasion and delamination, toxicity, difficult and expensive regulatory approval pathways, and high manufacturing costs. This review provides a survey of the most recent developments in the field, i.e., those published in the last 2-3years, with a particular focus on technologies that have potential for overcoming the most significant challenges facing therapeutically-loaded coatings. It is concluded that the ideal coating remains an unrealized target, but that advances in the field and emerging technologies are bringing it closer to reality. The significant amount of research currently being conducted in the field provides a level of optimism that many functional combination coatings will ultimately transition into clinical practice, significantly improving patient outcomes.

Silver coating of dialysis catheters to reduce bacterial colonization and infection.

Complications resulting from infection remain a major problem for hemodialysis catheters, with significant numbers of catheters being removed due to catheter-related sepsis. Numerous strategies have been employed to reduce the occurrence of infection and improve long-term outcomes, with varying degrees of success. One promising approach is coating the external surface of catheters with silver using physical vapor deposition processes. This article reviews results of animal and clinical experiments conducted to assess efficacy and biocompatibility of silver-coated dialysis catheters. It is concluded that silver coatings can reduce bacterial colonization and occurrence of infection associated with these devices.